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Message to Murdoch: mission accomplished!

Couldn't help but see this morning's Wall Street Journal and The New York Times shared the same photo on the front page, for the second time in less than a week.  Today it was one of 50 shots from the weekend's horrible explosions in Iraq, available from Getty Images.

It's been said that since News Corp. bought the WSJ, Murdoch wanted to go head to head with The Times.  He has. The first section of the paper has made the shift with much more national and international news coverage than business content.  And where stylized etching-like graphics used to sparsely illustrate stories, now four-color photos do.

Maybe they should rename it The Wall Street Times.

There should be more ‘early retirements’ at WaPo

You have to think, and hope, there are a few people at the Washington Post who have trouble sleeping the next few days.  Naturally, the publisher, Katherine Weymouth, should be one of them ... in terminal fear for their jobs.

(Are you reading this, Donald Graham?)  

Even the Post’s Ombudsman agrees the idea of inviting sources/lobbyists/influencers to diss and dine with Weymouth and her employees (don’t forget) was beyond the pale of logic.  Given my own experience at major media companies, it’s beyond belief that this dumb idea got further than a suggestion over having a coffee.

Most troubling is Ms. Weymouth’s involvement, her name being used in the sponsor-soliciting flier .

Without her knowledge?  Right! 

Given the Post’s financial issues, it is also clear now that there are substantial management problems, too. 

In her brief tenure, Weymouth appears to consciously trying to raise the Post’s profile well beyond paper and ink.  But in her zeal (exemplified by this photo and feature from Portfolio) there have been mistakes. 

At a minimum, she is trying way too hard.

Luring lobbyists and executives to non-confrontational conversations and drinks and dinner with reporters is absurd.  It’s enough to make one ask if this media company’s lineage included Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee  or that self-described ‘thug,’ Nick Denton.

What’s for breakfast?

OK.  Predictions of the death of newspapers are everywhere.  Recently, I heard that they will be gone in five years.

Here’s what I want to know.

What am I going to do at breakfast without a paper?

There is zero chance my wife is going to allow me to have a laptop at the table.  I have enough trouble having my iPhone even in the kitchen, never mind on and surfing.

So, seriously ... there are tens of millions of us for whom the morning paper has become as addictive as the morning cup of coffee.  What am I going to do?  Morning TV like “Today”, I don’t think so.  CNN, Fox, CNBC? Nope, too narrow, too small an editorial horizon.  And an awful lot of noise and not much signal.

Maybe I’ll get up half an hour earlier, surf by bookmarks, and print out 20-30 pages so I have something to read with Cheerios and blueberries.